Tethered
by Chrmdpoet
Summary: Adilyn's entire body felt constricted and aching, like she needed to move, needed to close a gap she wasn't even aware mattered. She had to open that door. She had to help Jessica. She had to reel her in.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Adilyn jolted awake as a sobbing scream ripped through the air and spilled into her shallow sleep. She swiped quickly at her eyes to clear away the haze of slumber and blinked into the dusky red that painted her bedroom through the open window. She had slept the day away.

The house was quiet, so quiet. Had she been dreaming?

"Daddy?" she called timidly as she slipped slowly out of bed and inched toward her bedroom door.

She poked her head out into the hallway and listened for a moment, but she was met with only silence. "Daddy?" she called again, a little louder this time, as she stepped out into the hallway. No answer echoed back to her, and Adilyn's flesh prickled. The hair on her arms and at the back of her neck stood at attention as her stomach lurched uncomfortably. She was alone.

The hard wood of the banister felt smooth beneath her fingertips as she stood at the top of the stairs and looked down into the empty foyer. Her daddy must have gone out on another emergency call. The town was in total chaos after all, so it made sense.

Adilyn jumped clear off the ground, her heart slamming into her rib-cage, as another loud and desperate cry suddenly shattered the quiet like a bullet to glass. The silence splintered around her as if in slow motion, and Adilyn's breath stilled in her lungs as her head whipped around and her gaze drifted up and up.

The attic.

The events of the previous night and that morning spiraled through Adilyn's mind like a whirlwind, sweeping her up and away.

The steam rising from Jessica's flesh as she began to burn in the early morning light, as she planted herself firmly in the morning dew and freely offered up her eternity in the form of protection and sacrifice.

The trembling, desperate clutch of Jessica's hands, fingers dipping into Adilyn's sides, as the vampire captured the fairy mid-run and sped her back into the safety of the home Adilyn had graciously, and perhaps foolishly, invited her into.

The slide of Jessica's hands along the length of Adilyn's thigh, the cold seeping through the material of her pants and licking at her flesh, as they knelt upon the floor.

The conflict in Jessica's eyes—the hunger, the guilt, the fear—as she leapt away from Adilyn and fled to the attic.

The attic.

Adilyn was now standing just outside the attic door, unable to even recall the first step she had taken in that direction. Her pulse was a staggered melody, stuttering in her veins as she stared wide-eyed at the chipped paint on the old door. She moved slowly, cautiously, and laid her head against the wood, pressing her ear close to listen.

Soft whimpers echoed from inside and the lilt of them made Adilyn's eyes burn. Her throat itched painfully with an urge to cry that she didn't quite understand. Her tongue darted out to lick her dry lips as she swallowed thickly, roughly, and listened a moment longer.

The whimpers didn't stop. The gentle cries grew, careening into aching groans toward their end, and Adilyn's heart clenched with the broken melody. She didn't know what to do, or if she should do anything at all.

Jessica might be hurt, and that one thought caused a wave of fear to roll through Adilyn's gut. It was shocking and overwhelming, and before she could stop herself, Adilyn tapped her index finger softly against the attic door. It was simple, quiet even—a barely-there _tap, tap, tap_—but Adilyn felt almost as if that easy motion had been ripped right up from her soul.

_Please_, she thought, and she didn't have the slightest clue what she was yearning for. Regardless, an answer didn't come.

She tapped again, only this time she added a quiet whisper. "Jessica?" Still nothing.

"Jessica," she called again, a little louder. _Tap. Tap. Tap. _"Are you alright?"

Suddenly, the whimpering stopped. The cries dwindled to silence, and nothing remained but the sound of Adilyn's breath puffing against the attic door.

"Adilyn?"

Adilyn sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing the quiet echo of her name from the other side of the wood. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice cracked and trembled. She cleared her throat, and pressed her ear a little closer to the door. "Yeah," she squeaked out. "It's me."

"Oh," Jessica replied in a soft answer that barely made it through the door for the fairy to hear. Her voice sounded weak, torn. She sounded so broken through the wood, so sad.

"Um…" Adilyn muttered, her ear still pressed to door even as she shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "A-are you alright?"

It was quiet another long moment before Adilyn caught the rustling sounds of movement, and then she heard Jessica's voice, a bit louder but still ragged, call back to her. "Yeah," the vampire answered. "I'm okay."

"Okay," Adilyn said, nodding against the door. Her stomach flipped and lurched as she shifted nervously again, but she didn't move from the door. She didn't want to leave, though she didn't know why. It was like she was tethered to the vampire inside her attic, like they were tied each to opposite ends of a rope that in that moment was pulled taut and straining against her body. She needed the slack, needed the relief of reassurance; she needed to be a little closer.

She had felt the same way that morning, trembling nervously behind the front door as she contemplated whether to invite Jessica inside or let her burn in the rising sun. Her entire body had felt constricted and aching, like she needed to move, needed to close a gap she wasn't even aware mattered. She had to open that door. She had to help Jessica. She had to reel her in.

She cared, perhaps more than she should considering their history, but she did nonetheless. She cared about Jessica, then and now, and despite how awkward and useless she felt in that moment, it was that care that kept her just outside the attic door.

Adilyn shifted again, bouncing gently from heel to heel. "Well," she said after a moment, "are you...are you sure?" She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at the door, waiting for an answer that didn't come. "You were screamin'," she finally whispered, knowing Jessica would hear the words no matter how quiet they were.

Silence again.

Adilyn let out a soft sigh, rolling her eyes at herself because god, this was awkward, but she felt like she needed to stay. It's not like she had anywhere to be anyway. Her daddy would probably have a heart attack if he found out she left, or bust a lung chasing after her or something. So, she was stuck there, and it was just her in the house—just her and Jessica.

"Oh."

Adilyn perked up at the soft sound of Jessica's voice drifting through the door again. She pressed her ear to the door and heard Jessica's sigh before the vampire said, "It was just a bad dream is all."

"Do you want me to come in?" Adilyn asked, both terrified and thrilled that the answer might be yes. She didn't understand her feelings toward Jessica at all, but they were alive and kicking nonetheless—a strange and warring combination of hurt and intrigue, of anger and understanding, of fear and fondness. Each emotion was a fiber on that rope that was constantly tugging between them, and Adilyn felt them all as they rubbed raw at her flesh, both driving her away and pulling her further in.

She was utterly helpless in how to respond to it all, so she just sort of floated from moment to moment where Jessica was concerned, letting her willingness to forgive and to trust again lead her, or letting her fear, at times, scare her away.

"You shouldn't," Jessica finally answered. "It's better if you don't."

"We could just talk through the door then until the sun sets," Adilyn offered, "like we did through the window last night." She glanced down the hall to the nearest room with an open door. She could tell by the light in that room that the sun was, in fact, very close to setting entirely. The day had already been waning when Jessica's screams had woken her, and it had little life left in it now.

"You don't have to talk to me," Jessica told her, and that sorrow was back in her voice, that sorrow that ate at Adilyn's soul.

She shuffled on her feet again, pressing her forehead to the door. "Well, what if I want to?" She rested her hand against the wood like a physical plea. "I don't really have anyone else to talk to. I'm alone here anyway."

When she yet again received no answer, Adilyn let out a heavy sigh and turned her back to the door. She pressed against it and sank slowly down to the floor, pulling her knees up under her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

Jessica was shutting her out. That much seemed clear enough. It had been the same the night before—short, clipped replies and nervous glances. The more they talked, though, they actually managed to open up to one another and relax a bit. Of course it all quickly faded when one of those H-vamps showed up, snorting the air like there was crack-cocaine floating around in it.

Still, it had been nice to have those few moments with Jessica, the _real _Jessica, not the monster she became when driven mad with blood-lust. It had been like finally having a real friend, someone who could relate, someone Adilyn could share stories about crushes and kisses with, someone she could gossip with and rant to; someone like her.

"What do you wanna talk about?"

A smile pulled at the corners of Adilyn's lips when Jessica's tentative question came through the door, much louder than before. She was closer, maybe even right on the other side of the wood. The mere thought of it made Adilyn's heart race.

"Um…" she muttered, turning to sit in the frame of the door, her side pressing snugly against the wood. She heard Jessica shift as well, almost as if the vampire was trying to match her movements, and that only made Adilyn's smile grow. "What was your dream about?"

Jessica was quiet for a long time, long enough that Adilyn considered apologizing for even asking, but then…

"You."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_"Um…" she muttered, turning to sit in the frame of the door, her side pressing snugly against the wood. She heard Jessica shift as well, almost as if the vampire was trying to match her movements, and that only made Adilyn's smile grow. "What was your dream about?"_

_Jessica was quiet for a long time, long enough that Adilyn considered apologizing for even asking, but then…_

_"You."_

* * *

Adilyn's brows furrowed, the answer surprising her. "But you were screamin'," she said again quietly.

"Yeah," Jessica answered through the door. "You…" she hesitated, and Adilyn could almost feel the other girl's resistance through the wood that separated them. The words did eventually crawl out of Jessica's mouth though, but not without some obvious internal protest. "Your sisters."

That one word, _sisters, _was enough. Adilyn closed her eyes tightly, a wave of pain rolling through her body as her chest clenched tightly and her eyes burned. "Oh," she managed to choke out.

Jessica sniffled, the sound seeping through the door and reaching Adilyn's ears. "I told you I have nightmares about it."

Adilyn nodded before remembering that Jessica couldn't see her. She cleared her throat and swiped quickly at her eyes. "I thought maybe you just said that to make me feel better or somethin'."

Jessica sighed deeply despite having no need of breath. Her hair swished audibly as it rubbed against the door where her head rested, and Adilyn wondered if the other girl felt as restless as she sounded, as restless as Adilyn herself felt. "I don't think anythin' I say could ever make either of us feel better about that night."

"No," Adilyn agreed in a whisper. "Probably not."

The silence seeped back in again, settling over them like a blanket that felt too heavy, too scratchy, too hot. It made Adilyn's skin crawl, and all she wanted was to break the silence, but she didn't know how. She didn't know what to say. Everything felt fragile, like the smallest bit of sound or the wrong word might break her or Jessica; might break them both.

"I wanna apologize," Jessica said quietly, and Adilyn closed her eyes again. She could hear the ache in Jessica's voice, the sincerity. It seeped into her flesh and tugged at her heart, even as she tried to resist it. There was a part of her that didn't want to forgive Jessica. She knew she couldn't hate her, but she felt like she shouldn't forgive her either, like it might be some sort of betrayal to the memory of her sisters.

"I wanna say I'm sorry every day," Jessica continued, her voice raw and ragged, "every _second_, every time I…every time I have to look at _you_ or Andy." She paused. Adilyn wiped at her eyes again as they burned and burned, before she slowly and cautiously lowered a hand down to the crack at the bottom of the attic door. "I wake up feelin' terrible. It never stops, that feelin'. So, I wanna say I'm sorry. I wanna say it all the time. I wanna say it 'til you believe it, 'til maybe it means somethin' more than _just_ sorry, but I don't."

Adilyn hesitated, her fingertips poised at the slim opening under the door. "Why not?" she asked, her own voice cracking as her throat itched and burned as severely as her eyes. She knew that feeling, that terrible feeling Jessica spoke of. It never stopped for her either; at least, it hadn't yet. She had moments of joy, and her heart swelled every time she thought of her sisters, but most days she woke up and felt nothing more than alone.

Her sisters had been like her—different, special. Now, it was only her, and no one understood; well, no one except maybe Sookie, but it wasn't like Adilyn ever spent much time around the blonde.

"I don't know," Jessica told her. "I guess 'cause no matter how many times I say those words or how much I mean 'em, they're still just words. They can't bring your sisters back. They can't make you forgive me. They can't make this pain go away, not for you or for your dad or for me."

Adilyn took a deep, steadying breath as those words blasted through her like a blazing sun flame, burning up her resistance. The pain in Jessica's voice was thick and heavy, strangling her words even as she forced them forward, and the sound ate at Adilyn. She inched her fingertips forward, slipping them just under the attic door, and then she held her breath and just waited.

That silence settled in again as Adilyn held her breath, and then she felt the slightest brush over her index finger. Another brush of cold flesh touched her middle finger. The press of Jessica's fingers atop her own, slipping over her fingernails and over the exposed parts of her knuckles made Adilyn's pulse race. Her stomach flipped almost pleasantly as she then felt Jessica's fingers slowly lift her own and slide beneath so that they were holding hands the best they could through a slim crack.

They stayed that way for several long, quiet moments, their fingers tangled together under the door as they each rested on opposite sides of it. Every few seconds, Jessica's thumb would slide along the top of Adilyn's knuckles. It was just a soft caress, a gentle stroke, but it made Adilyn's flesh feel electric every single time.

"It's night," Jessica whispered after a while, and Adilyn looked up. She hadn't even realized how dark the house had gotten, and she now sat in a shroud of shadows. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon.

"Wow," Adilyn said quietly. "I hadn't realized."

"Yeah."

Adilyn shifted, only just realizing how sore her back was from being pressed up against the rigid door-frame for so long. She was careful not to move her hand too much, though, because for some reason, she wasn't ready to let go of Jessica. "Well, um…" she muttered. She cleared her throat and used her free hand to scratch awkwardly at the back of her neck. "Are you gonna come out now then?"

A strangled whimper was the only response she got, and panic sparked deep in Adilyn's chest. "Jessica?" she asked softly.

"Can you just…" Jessica squeezed Adilyn's fingers tightly for only a moment before releasing them entirely. "Can ya move away from the door, please?"

"Oh," Adilyn replied quietly, almost sadly, as she pulled her hand out from under the attic door and slowly rose to her feet. "Can you still smell me or somethin'?"

"I can always smell you," Jessica admitted, and Adilyn could hear the vampire rising behind the door as well.

Adilyn took a few steps back and away from the attic. "Even through the door?" she asked.

"Even from a mile away," Jessica told her. "A little further, please."

Adilyn backed up some more. "Is this good?" she called.

"Um, a little further," Jessica called back, and Adilyn couldn't help the small smile that teased at her lips. This was a little ridiculous, but at the same time, she appreciated the fact that Jessica was taking extra precautions around her. "Maybe you should just shut yourself in your room or somethin'."

"Until when?" Adilyn asked, shifting from foot to foot, unsure. "Where are you gonna go?"

"Just until I can get outside," Jessica told her. "I'm not leavin'. I just need to get outta the house."

"You can stay inside," Adilyn replied, fidgeting and pulling at her fingers as she glanced around in the dark house, "if you want." She wasn't exactly sure if that was true, given the fact that her daddy could return home at any minute and freak the hell out, but she definitely _wanted _it to be true.

"I really can't," Jessica called back to her. "It isn't safe for you."

"But you could just open that attic door right now and eat me," Adilyn replied, closing her eyes and shaking her head, because god that sounded inappropriate, "but you haven't. So, can't you control it?"

"Barely," Jessica told her, "and barely ain't enough."

"But—" Adilyn began to protest again, but Jessica quickly cut her off.

"I don't wanna hurt you," the vampire interjected, her voice so sincere, so full of something akin to yearning. Adilyn thought it sounded almost like a prayer—beautiful and intimate, sad and desperate. "Please, Adilyn, don't put me in a position where I might."

Adilyn sighed softly, sorrow seeping into and weighing on her heart. She wondered if Jessica would ever trust herself enough to be in the same room with her again. She wondered if either of them would ever feel truly and completely safe around the other.

"Okay," Adilyn finally whispered, relenting. She turned on her heel then and quickly made her way toward the stairs. She took them down, two at a time, to the first landing and then turned to head toward her bedroom.

As soon as she crossed the threshold into her room and before she could even grab the door to close it, she heard the attic door wrench open from above. A blur of color shot down the stairs across from her so quickly that it made Adilyn dizzy, and then the bang of the front door closing echoed through the house a second later.

Adilyn bolted down the steps as soon as she heard that sound and then over toward the large window through which she and Jessica had spoken the night before. Her heart thumped madly in her chest the nearer she drew and even harder when she saw just a bit of Jessica's red hair outside the window. She didn't know why she was having such an intense reaction to Jessica Hamby, but she was.

For some reason, she wanted to be nearer. It was like she _needed _to be nearer, even if she was afraid.

Adilyn pressed her hand to the glass of the window as she looked out to see Jessica standing to the left of it on the porch, the same place she had stood for much of the previous night until that sick vampire had arrived. When her hand touched the glass, Adilyn saw Jessica's head bow down, her chin dipping to her chest.

Adilyn slid back the lock on the window and then slowly pulled the top down. As soon as the breeze hit her through the window, she heard a soft groan from the vampire across from her. It was obvious, though, that Jessica had tried to hold the sound in.

"Hey," Adilyn said softly, biting her bottom lip nervously and leaning on the window.

Jessica avoided her eyes, facing forward. "Hey," the redhead replied after a moment.

"Are you okay?"

Jessica nodded. "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine," Adilyn argued. "Why won't you look at me?"

Jessica shifted from foot to foot, her hands clasped together in front of her waist as she continued to avoid Adilyn's gaze. "I probably look awful."

Adilyn's chest grew tight and aching at those words. She shook her head even before any words came out. "I don't think so."

"That's only 'cause you haven't seen my face," Jessica told her, laughing softly and awkwardly. "I've been cryin', so…"

"Well, I don't mind," Adilyn told her, her fingers gripping onto the frame of the window. "You were cryin' last night, and I saw your face then. You didn't look awful." She let out a soft breath. "Besides, I…I always thought you were really pretty."

"Really?" Jessica asked, almost shyly.

A smile teased at Adilyn's lips as she nodded even though Jessica was looking away from her. "Yeah," she told her. "_Really_ pretty."

Jessica finally turned around them, slow but deliberate, but she kept her head ducked down a bit. Still, Adilyn could see the long, dark streaks of crimson that stained Jessica's cheeks and nose. Not only that, but she could also see how exhausted the vampire looked, and it made her ache to offer some kind of relief. She didn't have anything to offer, though, not without risking her life.

When Jessica looked up a moment later, Adilyn could see the conflict in her blue, blue eyes—the swirling storm of emotions that all seemed so present and so painful. Still, Jessica smiled at her and quietly confessed, "I think you're really pretty, too."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everyone. Thank you for all the love and reviews for this story thus far. I greatly appreciate it, and I apologize for the longer wait on this chapter. I've been in bad shape lately, and have been unable to sit at the computer for long, but hopefully my back-to-back doctor's appointments this week will get me all straightened out. In the meantime, have a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy this update! Take care, XO-Chrmdpoet**

Chapter Three

Adilyn smiled shyly, letting out a soft breathy giggle. "Thanks," she whispered, her cheeks shaded a soft tint of pink.

They stood awkwardly in silence after that, just sort of staring at one another, until Adilyn cleared her throat and said, "And thank you for…for last night, for what you were willin' to do for me."

"It's nothin'," Jessica replied, immediately shrugging it off.

"It's not nothin', Jessica," Adilyn argued. "You could've died."

Jessica continued to try to evade Adilyn's gratitude. She didn't want it, because she didn't feel she had truly earned it. She didn't feel she could ever earn it, not when anything she did now would be pitted against what she had done before. It was unthinkable, Adilyn being grateful to her or for her. In Jessica's mind, it was almost cruel.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "I've almost died more times in the last year alone than I can count," she told the fairy. "So, it's no big deal."

Adilyn sighed and leaned down to rest her chin on top of her knuckles, still gripping the window. It was obvious Jessica wasn't going to accept her gratitude, so she simply nodded against her hand and let the argument die.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" she asked after another long moment of awkward silence and Jessica avoiding her eyes again.

"What?" the vampire asked.

"All this stuff with the vampires," Adilyn answered quietly. "I'm barely two weeks old and already right in the middle of some weird vampire apocalypse."

Jessica chuckled softly, turning her head so that she could discreetly wipe at the blood near the corner of her left eye. "Yeah," she agreed. "I know what ya mean. As far as vamps go, I'm still just a baby, and I've already seen enough crazy shit to last a lifetime."

They both laughed softly together, Adilyn still blushing and Jessica wringing her hands in the bottom of her jean jacket over and over. "So, uh…" Adilyn began, desperate to make the conversation last, but unsure of what topic to bring up. She didn't know that she necessarily had anything in common with Jessica besides the fact that they were somehow and oddly both babies and teenagers at the same time. Then again, Adilyn wasn't sure if she had much in common with anyone. She hadn't really been alive long enough to do much outside of learning simply how to be and how to survive. She hadn't developed any great hobbies or uncovered any incredible talents. She was just sort of…existing.

"Um…" she muttered again, still unsure of what to say, but then she recalled their conversation the night before. "Tell me some more about your boyfriend; James, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Jessica answered, grinning. "What do ya wanna know?"

"I don't know," Adilyn giggled. "What are his kisses like?" Her face went bright red as soon as the words escaped her, and she immediately began to backtrack. "I-I'm sorry. Is that too personal? You don't have to answer that. Sorry."

Jessica laughed out loud at the adorable reaction, and without thinking, she reached out and laid a hand on Adilyn's forearm. "Relax," she told the fairy. "It's fine. You can ask me whatever you want."

Adilyn's gaze darted down to the cold fingers resting gently atop her forearm and then back up to lock onto the soft, icy blue of Jessica's bright eyes. Tingles zipped along her flesh as she laughed nervously, almost shyly, and nodded. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay," Jessica repeated softly. "And to answer your question, his kisses are soft and warm. They're comfortable, and they make my stomach tingle with that feelin' of…" She hesitated because she couldn't think of the proper word to describe what it was she was trying to say.

"Of what?" Adilyn asked, fully invested in all that Jessica was saying.

"Um, I don't really know if there's a word for it," Jessica laughed out. "Ya know that feelin' you get when you don't feel good or your stomach's upset, and your mom or your dad brings you a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup?"

"No," Adilyn answered, ducking her head and laughing. "Not really. I've never been sick."

Jessica squeezed her arm, and then realizing that she was, in fact, still touching the fairy, she quickly pulled her hand back and away from Adilyn. "Well," the redhead chuckled, swallowing thickly and unconsciously swiping her tongue over the throbbing teeth where her fangs would extend, "_that's _what it feels like. It's nice, comfortin'."

Jessica then smiled teasingly at Adilyn and asked, "What was it like with Wade?"

Adilyn blushed brightly, and Jessica's stomach flipped pleasantly. She was beginning to notice that the fairy girl seemed to do that a lot. It was endearing.

"Excitin'," she answered after a few seconds. She grinned as she rolled her chin back and forth on the wooden frame of the window. "My stomach was in knots the whole time."

"Yeah, I know what ya mean," Jessica said, nodding. "It's like that the first few times. It was like that with my ex, Jason. His kisses were always really thrillin', like stomach in knots and skin on fire. Sometimes, it's just like that."

"Which kiss do you like better?" Adilyn asked her, daringly reaching out to poke Jessica's arm playfully.

Jessica laughed. "Oh god! You can't ask me that!"

"Sure I can," Adilyn chuckled. "It's just us, so which one?"

"I don't know," Jessica groaned, running a hand through her hair and wincing as her fingers snagged on a few tangles. "They're both nice in their own ways."

"Okay, but you have to pick one."

Jessica rolled her eyes at the fairy's teasing. "Maybe I'd choose neither," she finally said after a moment, sticking her tongue out. She quickly grew serious, though, as she thought on it.

Adilyn watched the redhead's bright blue eyes grow deep and distant then as Jessica's head bowed forward a bit and she quietly said, "Maybe I haven't found my favorite kiss yet."

Adilyn's stomach flipped and churned in ways she didn't quite understand but reveled in nonetheless as the image of Jessica's bright, deep eyes and fluttering lashes seemed to suck the air right out of her lungs. They stared at one another a long moment, before Adilyn cleared her throat and looked away. She forced out a laugh for no reason, and Jessica followed her example.

They laughed a little awkwardly, the sound dying slowly down. Neither wanted to acknowledge how awkward it was, and both wished that that awkwardness would subside, but it seemed to be enduring. As long as they were talking, it dimmed, but the minute the silence crept back in, it began to burn brightly once more.

Adilyn supposed that that was just the way it was when you shared a heavy history with someone. That's what fed the awkwardness—all that tragic history that weighed on the air around them, making it thick and near unbearable at times. She knew it was something that couldn't simply be forgotten or expelled. It was something that would linger between them for a long time to come, maybe even forever.

Still, it didn't change the fact that Adilyn was drawn to the vampire, that they were drawn to one another. It didn't change the fact that that tether still existed between them, constantly pulling, back and forth; back and forth.

"So, how'd you become a vampire?" Adilyn asked when she could no longer take the steadily thickening silence. "I know Bill's your…dad? Is that the word?"

"Well, technically, yeah, he's my dad," Jessica told her, laughing, "but most vamps say 'maker'. Bill's my maker."

"Maker," Adilyn repeated, nodding. "Got it. So, did you ask him to turn you or somethin'?"

Jessica bit her lip, casting her gaze to the ground. "No," she answered, the word hardly more than breath.

"Well then what happened?"

"It's not a great story, Adilyn," Jessica told her. "I mean, it's probably not somethin' that you'd wanna hear."

"So," Adilyn replied, shrugging. "Tell me anyway. I wanna know."

Jessica sighed. "Okay, but just…Bill isn't a bad guy, okay? He's the best maker a girl could have, really. I just want you to know that before I tell you."

Adilyn's brows furrowed. "Okay," she drawled slowly. "Is it really that bad?"

"Well, I was actually kidnapped and then turned against my will," Jessica blurted. "Sorry, there's really just no way to ease into that."

Adilyn gasped softly and gaped at Jessica. "Bill _kidnapped _you?!"

"Oh, no! No!" Jessica said quickly, shaking her head. "No, Bill isn't like that. I was kidnapped by the Authority." At Adilyn's confused look, the redhead clarified by saying, "The _Vampire _Authority. It was like this weird vampire government, but it's gone now since everyone died and Bill went crazy and turned into a god, which was weird and freaky as hell, but I guess necessary since he ended up savin' all our lives, and then after that, you know, he changed back to Bill again." Realizing she was rambling, Jessica cleared her throat and chuckled awkwardly. She avoided Adilyn's gaze as the fairy giggled at her.

"_Anyway_," Jess continued, "Bill got in trouble with the Authority before all that, so they punished him by forcin' him to turn an innocent."

"You," Adilyn whispered, her expression crumpling, ripe with her discomfort. She would never have imagined that Jessica's transformation had been so terrifyingly cruel and tragic. It broke her heart. "Wow."

Jessica nodded and smiled almost sadly. "Yeah." She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "It was probably the scariest thing that ever happened to me; well, at that point, it was."

Adilyn reached out almost unconsciously and squeezed Jessica's arm over the window. "I'm sorry that happened to you," she told the vampire, and Jessica offered her that same sad smile.

"That's okay," Jessica replied softly. "It feels like forever ago now."

"Still—" Adilyn began, but whatever words had been on her tongue died as they slipped back down her throat when Jessica's head snapped to the left, the vampire's back stiffening.

"What is it?" the fairy croaked out, suddenly on edge. "I don't hear anything."

Jessica didn't look at her, but she answered the question as she kept her eyes trained on the dark distance. "It's a car."

"Whose car?"

"I'm not sure," Jessica told her.

"Well, maybe it's my dad," Adilyn offered nervously.

Jessica nodded, but then said, "Maybe it's not."

"But even if it's not, it's a car, right?" Adilyn asked her. "I mean, surely one of those sick vampires wouldn't show up in a car."

"Vampires drive, Adilyn," Jessica told her, her voice sharp and serious, "but even if they didn't, a vampire doesn't have to be sick to be drawn to the smell of your blood."

Adilyn swallowed thickly, nearly choking on her own saliva. The ache in her heart upon seeing the flicker of guilt flash across Jessica's features warred with the nerves buzzing beneath her flesh. "Okay," she whispered after a moment, "but maybe it's not a vampire at all."

Jessica took just a moment to turn and lock gazes with the fairy. "Listen to me," she said softly but firmly. "Vampires aren't the only things in the world that can hurt you. Regular old people can hurt you just as much, especially in a time like this where anyone who's even the slightest bit different is seen as a threat. I said I would protect you. I didn't mean just from vampires. I meant I would _protect _you…no matter what."

Jessica turned away from her again as soon as the words left her lips. Her eyes narrowed as she peered into the dark toward the sound of the rumbling engine. Suddenly, her shoulders sagged as her body relaxed, and Jessica let out a sigh.

"It's Andy," she said, now able to make out the Sheriff's car in the distance. A moment later, the car drove up into the clearing and toward the house.

Adilyn let out a breath of relief, unwilling to admit how freaked out she had just been. Jessica's sudden snapping to attention had flooded her mind with memories of the previous night. Adilyn was pretty sure that that night would haunt for her weeks to come.

Jessica glanced back at Adilyn as the Sheriff's car drew nearer. "Maybe you should go back inside."

"I _am_ inside."

"Shut the window, I mean," Jessica told her, chuckling. "I don't think your dad would much like you talkin' to me."

Adilyn wanted to protest as her stomach lurched uncomfortably, but she knew that Jessica was right. Andy wouldn't approve of her hanging out with Jessica, so she nodded and tried to say she was sorry with just her eyes, before quickly pushing up the window, latching it, and retreating into the house.

When Andy finally pulled the car to a stop in front of the Bellefleur mansion, Jessica did her best to be as invisible as possible. She stood still and kept her gaze trained out into the woods in the distance, hoping Andy would just pass her by without saying anything.

Andy climbed out of his car, sighing as he did so. It had been a long night. He noticed that Jessica was stationed outside his house again, just like she had been the night before, and he let out another long sigh at that. He intended to make some snarky comment as had become his norm around the vampire, but when he drew nearer the redhead and actually took in her appearance, the comment died in his throat.

Jessica was dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing the night before. Her hair was ratty and tangled. Dark circles clung to the spaces beneath her bright eyes, and streaks of dried blood marred her cheeks and ears.

Andy paused on the porch, let his gaze wander over the vampire, and said, "Jesus fuck. You look like shit."

Jessica couldn't help herself. She barked out a loud laugh before reaching up to cup a hand over her mouth.


End file.
